Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-01-05
DEATH ON THE RAIL.
TWO TERRIBLE RAILROAD wREcgS
IN TIE NORTH.
baltimore and ohio Fast Passenger
Train in Collision-Passengsrs
Burned to Death.
,gy telegraph to the Dispatch.I

chicago. with five coaches and four sleep.
or. all wen filed with passengers, cOllided
with the eastcrn.bouDd freight seven miles
c,St of this CITY about O'Clock this morn.
;nc This train was about fifty minutes
lslc and was running at the rate OF sixty
miles an hour, passing Republic, a small
station. like Cash. They rushed along TO
a curve one mile west OF that town, when
suddenly The engineer saw the freight
tr,in updtr full headwaywithin one hun.
dred yards Of him. lie at once applied
The brakes and reversed his engine, but II
d,d no GOOD. and the next instant the crash
c,mc. tolcscOping the coaches and piiing
,hc,n upon each other. TO add consterna-
ron IN ,he horrible scene, fire broke out
I'm The smoking.car and soon spread 10 the
other cars. Many were Killed outright.
while others, wCdged In among the broken
cars. were slowly consumed by the dunes.
The screams Of the wounded and dying
Were bcartrending. but no assistance could
be given until q farmer, awakened by the
crash, came. aud, with Other neighbors,
worked ike heroes TO save the perisbing.
At this writing nineteen dead bodies have
been recovered, and they lie burned and
disfgured in the snow beside the track.
Help was sent from Republic aud this city
~ soon ~ the news was received. IL Is a
fearful sight, and recalls the Ashtabula hor-
ror Ofihe winter OF 1877. IL Is impossible
to give the names OF the killed or wounded
81 this time. The cause Of the disaster Is as
vet unknown.
ANOTHER ACCOCNT-pFTAf~ or THE H0R-
EOR.
TITriN, O., January AT 2 O'Clock
this morning the wcst.bOund fast train,
known as the Erie express, on the Bal.
timOrc and Ohio road, cOllided with a
freight train one mile west OF Republic
The express does not make a stop at the
town Of Republic, q village Of go inhabi-
ianis, eight miles east OF this city, and il is
supposed was running at speed
Of not less than sixty miles per hour. The
freight (castward-bound) had expected TO
make the siding at Republic, and was
probably making rate OF speed not less
than thirty miles per hour, and, thus rum
ming in opposite directions on the same
track, caused telescope as clean cut and
disastrous ~ has ever been witnessed.
The engines were run into each other as
one stOyc-plpe its into its mate, and all
that could be- seen was a chaotic mass OF
brass. iron, and steel. At an early hour
there were hundreds OF people coming TO
the scene OF the disaster ready and anxious
10 do what they could for any Of the unfOr-
tunate sufferers who might need help. but,
il appears, just as soon as the Baltimore
and Ohio agents could get to the wreck
they carried out OF the county the wound
ed, dead, and dying. IL is believed that
there were at least twenty-five bodies burn
ed beyond all possible recognition. From
The report OF the survivors II would appear
that number OF the unfortunatcs were so
thoroughly turned that their remains could
not be gathered from the Debris. only
three survivors remain at Republic.
These are Mrs. Mary POstlethwaite aud
two young children. Her husband aud
TWO sons. aged eleven and eighteen, were
killed. They were cmigrating from Bel
ton, Wetz,l county, W. Va, to ChilIicOthc,
$40. In some way that even the mother
vas unable TO relate she got out Of the car
i'm which she had been travelling, and,
wandering away from the burning train,
carving her two youngest children IN her
lm.. entered tbc first house in which she
found q II ht. She was almost crazed, and
Il was with difficulty that her name was
Iscertsincd.
The agents Of the Baltimore and Ohio
railrOad endeayOTed TO take care OF Mrs.
POsilclhwaite and her children by sending
them TO Chicago Junction, where the com.
psnv have a hotel. On the advice, how
ever, Of her friends, who were telegraphed
To-, shc consented 10 remain in Republic I'M
al she should hear from her son, who re-
manned in West Virginia. Mr.. Postle-
thWai.e had on his person money, checks,
and notes TO the amount of { 800 or
$1,000, being capital with which to
start life IN their new home. There was
no way by which relief could be brought
10 the wrecked train until too late. The
ground was covered with snow. The coll
li,iOn occurred one mile from town and
half A mile from any dwelling and at A.
NJ. II is related Of one Bradley, prOmi-
nent Knight Of Labor from Washington, ID.
e., VINO. while the flames were bursting
from car-windOws winch had been
broken in by the collision, put out his hand
and threw his watch and pocket-hook 10
those whom he could see outside. He was
pinned fast, and was being roasted alive,
but those who saw him were unable 10
render relief. They could hear the fren-
lied man ~ be madly cndeaNOred to burst
the barriers that held him.
The engineer and ffemcn OF the freight
reversed their engine and jumped, Tue
engineer Of the express reversed his en-
CINE and sHrang TO the left The fireman
CndcayOred 10 get out TO the right, but,
being overcome with fright, fell close to
hi crushed engine aud was badly burned,
but not beyond recognition. There has
been 4 steady stream Of citizens from all
parts u The country TO the wreck to day.
TIE KILLED AND WOUNDED.
WASHINGTON, January Prom a mum.
her of dispatches from western points It i
gathered that the express messenger, W.
scott Price, of Wheeling; William Fred
q - d..
pres; snd +. C. BARLEY, OF Washington,
were among the killed. The total number
Of passengers was sixty five. The smoker
was entirely consumed and all the passen-
gers in il killed. All the mail and express
matter was destroyed. The num-
her Of bodies taken from the wreck
L. YariOusly stated at eight. ten,
md nineteen. Charles =. Tall, OF Detroit
who, with his wife, was passenger on the
wrecked tram, was interviewed at Toledo
1T noon. He says that at 2:l5 this morning
he was awakened by being thrown ViO-
lently from his berth. The train consisted
Of the engine, baggage-car, one coach, and
two slcCpers. The train cOliided an
cast-bOund freight, which had got stalled
a mile west Of Republic and eight miles
east OF Tiflin. The two engines were
utterly wrecked. The coach telescOped
into the hlCgage.car 50 completely that the
tao cars were crushed into the space OF
one. The two sleepers did not leave the
track. The teleScOped ears caught on fire
from The stove, and the passengers, living
and dead, imprisoned in the shattered
wreck were soon consumed. The engineer
aud fireman Of the freight leaped and saved
themselves before the collision. The en-
gineer OF the express, named Eastman, had
his leg broken and sustained a severe wound
in the shoulder. This fireman was caught
between the engine and '~nder, and died In
q few minutes. The uniniured passengers
and residents OF the ncighbOrhood set to
work 70 aid the wounded passengers in the
burning ears, Tescuing all who could be
reached. Up 10 the time Tall left, which
was at ) O'Clock, eight dead bodies had been
rescued from the wreck. The baggage
man Of the express was thrown through
the roof OF his car, escaping with broken
beg. The express messenger, who was
sitting beside him, was killed instantly.
No one In the steepcrs was iniurtd in the
least Among the passengers in the sleeper
were Mrs. Fish, OF Joliet, ILL.,, a
sister Of General Logan, and her son
Charles, neither OF whom were injured.
The shock was so terrible that the farmers
in the neighborhood took II TO be
an earthquake, and were soon al
the scene Of the wreck. la the con-
fusion Of the wreck hot dispute arose
among the train-men as TO the responsibility
"a A a.